‘Aaah!’ The zebra nodded, understanding his mistake. ‘In that case, you need to follow the road and go through those gates. But remember to stay hidden. If the humans see you they will lock you up in that building over there.’ The zebra turned its head towards the trees where Poppy had just come from.
Poppy whined at the idea of returning to that awful place, and of Rory, the frightening Alsatian. Suddenly, thoughts of being without her family and in such a strange place overwhelmed her. She was about to cry, but then Harley appeared at her side. When she looked at him she saw a puppy who needed her help.
‘There’s one more thing.’ The zebra looked down at Harley and honked, ‘Cain rules this park, and it is best not to upset him.’
Poppy instinctively stepped closer to the pup. ‘What can you tell us about him?’ She waited, hoping for the answer to the big question.
The zebra took a deep breath and looked into Poppy’s eyes. ‘Cain is big, strong and fearless and has very sharp teeth.’
Poppy gulped. She remembered Evie’s storybook about a monster called the Fearsome Brutal Brutus that lived in a forest. Like Cain, it was big and fearless – a giant, bear-like creature with huge yellow eyes and razor-sharp claws. Funnily enough, it never frightened Evie, but Poppy trembled just at the thought of it.
Just then, a gazelle galloped past. Poppy jumped and turned to see Harley running after it, barking in his squeaky voice. She noticed some cars driving slowly towards the brow of the hill.
‘Harley!’ she called.
The pup stopped and turned. He stared at Poppy.
‘We need to be careful. We have to keep away from those cars and the humans.’
For a moment Harley stared at her, his blue eyes wide and bright, full of curiosity and, Poppy realised, full of mischief. But she stood her ground. She lifted her chin, narrowed her eyes and growled. This did the trick. Slowly he made his way back to her side.
Poppy turned and thanked the zebra for his help.
‘You are welcome,’ he honked cheerfully. ‘But remember…’
‘Yes, I know, be careful,’ Poppy barked as she and Harley followed the winding road, now taking care to avoid the cars.
Chapter 6
Furry Friends
Poppy and Harley crept behind trees and hedges as they made their way to the gate.
‘Remember, Harley, we must keep away from the cars and humans.’ She looked over her shoulder at the trees, tall grass, rocks and, fortunately, an empty road. ‘But if you see a big green car then tell me, because my family will be inside.’
‘And Cain?’
‘What, inside their car? I hope not.’
‘I mean out here. Because I don’t want to see him. He doesn’t sound very nice.’
Poppy imagined coming face to face with the big, strong King of the Safari.
‘We just need to be careful,’ she barked, hoping the little one would listen.
They reached the open gate to find a large metal grid on the ground. A nearby hedge provided cover as they waited for some cars to pass. The grid rattled loudly each time a car drove over the metal bars. Poppy and Harley cowered against the awful noise, but they soon became used to the sound. When the coast was clear, they trotted towards the gate without any fear.
Harley leapt on to the grid. Poppy watched him swinging his tail and growling happily. She was about to tell him yet again to be careful when suddenly he tumbled. His paw slipped in between the bars. Poppy swooped down and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
‘This is fun,’ he squeaked, his legs swinging from side to side.
Slowly and carefully, Poppy made her way over the bars. Now she realised why the animals hadn’t followed them through the gate. Had it not been for the need to find their families, Poppy would never have attempted to cross the grid. Her heart raced and her legs shook, but looking back, she felt proud to have successfully managed getting across to the other side.
Gently, she let Harley go. The little pup instantly ran ahead.
‘We might see Cain here,’ he growled.
Poppy shook her head, her jowls wobbling. He now sounded too keen for her liking. Watching Harley jump from rock to rock and bush to bush, Poppy wondered how his pawrents ever kept him under control.
They hadn’t walked far when they found themselves surrounded by strange, furry creatures. Many were not much taller than Harley. Some were grey and others white with pink eyes. They hopped around the pair staring, their noses twitching and pointy ears swivelling.
Remembering the zebra’s earlier warning, instead of racing over to play, Poppy remained cautious. Thankfully, she didn’t sense any danger and so began to relax. She wagged her tail at those that stepped closer. She lowered her head towards them. She pulled her ears back and whined as a few gently sniffed her muzzle.
To Poppy’s surprise, she noticed many carried their young in furry pockets on their bellies. She whined softly seeing the little ones’ faces peering at her from within the safety of their furry cocoons. This seemed to please them. A few made clicking sounds, and in response Harley growled softly, making a noise like a purr.
The creatures parted, and Poppy watched as one of them hopped towards her. It was bigger than the rest. When it stopped in front of her, she realised they were the same height.
At first, the strange animal stared at her, its black nose twitching, before opening its arms and grunting, ‘Hey there! We didn’t expect to find dingoes in these parts.’
Poppy’s ears twitched. She had never heard an accent like it. But thankfully she could understand what he was saying.
‘We’re not dingoes. My name is Poppy, and this is Harley. We are cream retrievers.’
She looked to where Harley should have been. She sighed. Two of the little creatures hopped past at great speed, one carrying Harley in its pouch. Poppy groaned.
‘Hey! Do you mind keeping your joey under control!’ one of the furry creatures hissed angrily.
Poppy barked at Harley. Slowly, the pup crawled out of the pouch and tumbled to the floor. He rolled back on to his big paws to find Poppy peering into his face.
‘Behave yourself,’ she growled. ‘For all we know, one of these could be Cain.’
Harley looked around at the animals. One hopped over, its nose twitching in the pup’s face.
‘You are not Cain, are you?’ Harley growled.
The creatures grunted, and to Poppy it sounded as though they were laughing.
The largest one came forward. ‘Are you serious? We are wallabies. We come from Down Under.’
Down where?’ Harley growled.
‘Down Under, Australia – you know, the hot country on the other side of the world?’
‘So you’re not Cain, then?’ Poppy howled softly.
‘Crikey, you don’t know your animals, do you?’
Poppy felt like saying, yes I do! My brother Jack has taught me a lot. But she decided against it. She was just pleased to know that Cain was not amongst them.
‘We are looking for our pawrents,’ Harley squeaked.
Poppy was pleased to see him finally settle down at her paws. Some of the wallabies gathered closer.
‘So you’re not Harley’s mother?’ one of the wallabies asked. ‘We thought he was your joey.’
Poppy tilted her head. A what?
Another of the wallabies noticed her confusion and explained, ‘Joeys are what we call our young, our babies.’
Now she understood. ‘I am looking after him until we find our families. With Cain about, I think he needs someone to look after him.’
The biggest wallaby looked from side to side then snorted, ‘Keep away from Cain. He doesn’t like new faces.’
‘What is he like? Do you know what has happened to him?’ Poppy was eager to find out more, remembering what she had promised the dogs at the kenn
els.
‘Cain is strong. He could tear the meat from your bones.’
Poppy swallowed. She wished she hadn’t asked. This Cain was sounding more like the Fearsome Brutal Brutus every minute. Just then, a car drove by. Fortunately, she and Harley were well hidden by their furry friends.
Harley stood up and trotted over to a group of younger wallabies. Poppy realised the little one was becoming restless. It was time to move on, but she couldn’t leave without asking one more question.
‘My family are travelling in a big green car. You haven’t seen it, have you?’
Her heart sank seeing the largest wallaby shake his head.
‘You need to carry on down the road through those closed gates.’ He pointed to the cars, which were slowing down and beginning to form a queue.
‘How do we open them?’
‘You won’t be able to. The gates are kept locked and only open up when there are a lot of cars waiting.’
Poppy tilted her head. ‘Why?’
‘Because there are dangerous animals on the other side.’
Poppy heard the caution in the wallaby’s words and felt her stomach tense. ‘Is it Cain?’ she whined.
To her relief the wallaby shook his head.
‘No, no. They are North American wolves.’
‘Wolves!’ Poppy barked. ‘I’ve heard my Jack talk about wolves. They hunt in packs and have powerful jaws and teeth for crunching bones. They won’t try to eat us, will they?’
‘Not if you keep your heads down.’
Poppy turned and looked for Harley. The pup was busy playing who-can-jump-the-highest with some of the other young wallabies. Poppy rolled her eyes.
‘The wolves have already eaten, so they will probably be sleeping now,’ the wallaby grunted.
Poppy wondered if he was keeping his voice down so as not to frighten Harley. He need not have worried. The little pup seemed oblivious to danger.
The wallaby placed a paw on Poppy’s shoulder. ‘Just be careful,’ he hissed. ‘And I hope you find your families soon.’
After bidding the friendly wallabies, ‘G’day,’ they cautiously made their way to the closed gates. There they waited, in the shadows, for the gates to open.
Chapter 7
Oh So Tempting…
Quickly and silently, Poppy and Harley ran past the cars and through the open gates. Fortunately, the humans were too busy looking for the wolves to notice two white dogs racing by. There were many tall trees inside this enclosure. It was a cool and shady place with only a few pools of sunlight dotted between the trees.
The cars moved slowly along the narrow road, their occupants peering eagerly through their closed windows in the hope of a glimpse of the wolves.
Poppy stopped. Her nose twitched. She smelt them – the familiar canine smell, only much stronger and wilder, but she couldn’t see them. She looked up at the grassy bank. All she could see were tall blades of grass, large stones, rocks, trees and a fence running along the top.
Her ears twitched. It was quiet; too quiet.
‘Poppy,’ Harley growled. She sensed his unease and was pleased. At least now he wouldn’t go running off.
Harley lay behind a bush, his tail swishing slowly from side to side. He had seen something.
Poppy gulped. She stood beside him and followed his gaze.
Half-buried amongst the tall grass was a bone. Drool formed in the corners of Poppy’s jowls. She licked her lips. Harley licked his lips too. She charged for the bone hoping to reach it before him.
Wrapping her front paws around her prize, she fell on her belly and gnawed at the bone. What little meat was left tasted delicious. Drool dripped from her mouth as she licked, gnawed and chewed. Meanwhile, Harley leapt from side to side, trying to push his nose closer. Poppy turned her back on him; no way was she going to share!
She closed her eyes, savouring the taste, and for a moment she forgot where they were and why they were there. Then she opened her eyes just in time to see something moving near the top of the bank. Long, grey legs stretched out from between the grass, stones and rocks. Poppy realised that what she had thought were rocks and large stones were in fact grey, furry bodies.
She froze, her mouth still holding on to her prize. Meanwhile, Harley leapt on to her back.
‘Poppy! I’m hungry,’ he growled and squeak-barked, pushing his nose nearer and nearer to her mouth.
But Poppy ignored him. She stared at the large paws stretched towards the sky, the eyes peering at the cars through tall blades of grass.
‘Do not move,’ she groaned still watching the pack of wolves.
She held her breath, watching as one wolf threw its head back and opened its mouth in a long yawn. Neither she nor Harley could tear their eyes from its sharp fangs.
Harley lay still, his chin resting on the top of Poppy’s head. Then, to their relief, the wolves flopped back down.
The wallaby was right, Poppy thought. After feeding, the wolves were too tired to care about what was going on around them.
Harley slid off Poppy’s back. He looked up at the pack then back at her.
‘Come on,’ Poppy growled, cautious to keep as quiet as possible. Slowly and carefully, she left the delicious bone behind.
Thankfully, she saw the gate, but it was further away than she had hoped. Her heart now hammered in her chest and her legs began to shake.
Harley stayed close beside her. How lucky it was that she had found him. What if this little pup had made his way to the wolf enclosure all alone? Then there was Cain. Poppy groaned, quickly pushing thoughts of the King of the Safari to the back of her mind, hoping their paths would never cross.
With one last, cautious look over her shoulder, Poppy hurried towards a cluster of trees and bushes. She thought about the bone; maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go back and pick it up? The more she thought about it, the hungrier she became. It was no good, she had to go back and fetch it.
Poppy skidded to a halt, spun around and ran straight into Harley. He fell on his bottom then looked up at her, confused.
‘Just wait there…’ Poppy said. She looked up, then stopped. She forgot what she was going to say. Her body was gripped with fear. It felt as if her paws were glued to the spot. All she could feel was the racing of her heart.
Lying beside the bone she was about to retrieve was a large wolf. Its thick brown and grey fur shone in the dappled sun. Poppy would have thought it a proud and handsome creature had she not been so afraid.
It lay, silent and still, staring between the tall blades of grass at the intruders.
‘Poppy,’ Harley squeaked. He leaned into her.
Poppy growled softly. She wanted to tell him to be quiet, but the moment she growled the wolf slowly stood up. It took a step forward.
Poppy’s tail sank between her legs. She whimpered and then heard Harley do the same.
The wolf lowered its head further. It glared at them and curled its lip.
The sight of its teeth sent Poppy backing away, slowly. She took another step back, then another. To their left, between the trees, she saw the closed gate.
The wolf snarled. Poppy had never heard anything so terrifying. She pulled her ears back against the sound of its deep, menacing growl.
There was nothing else for it. Poppy had to run. She spun around and dived for the hedge, charging through, running and running, faster and faster.
Without looking back, she surged forward. Her paws thundered across the ground. She had never run so fast. She was running for her life. Her legs ached, her throat hurt, but all she cared about was the gate ahead; but it was still closed!
Desperately she looked around, there was no other way out. Her chest felt tight, she was seized with panic. Then she realised she couldn’t hear the wolf behind her. She looked over her shoulder and discovered it wasn’t there. Where had it g
one?
A loud click startled her. She whined helplessly then realised what the sound was. The gate was opening. She charged forward, nearer and nearer to the gate. Maybe she would escape after all? Now she was only a few feet away… Yes, she was going to make it!
The wolf jumped out in front of her, blocking her only means of escape.
She was done for. Poppy was certain of it. All she could think of was to cower against the hedge and wait for the attack. The wolf stood in the middle of the road, between her and the gate. It snarled. It rocked back on its haunches. Poppy was sure it was about to pounce, when suddenly a brown and yellow jeep with the words Manor Safari Park printed along the side pulled up. Poppy backed away behind the hedge and watched as the jeep edged closer to the wolf, blasting its horn. The wolf started to back away, but it still glared at Poppy.
As the jeep turned, now safely between the wolf and the opening gate, Poppy knew this was her one and only chance. She seized it and raced behind the jeep and through the gates.
Fear took over. She saw a herd of buffalo and, without thinking, charged towards them. Her legs nearly buckled beneath her. She was now crying with terror. Too afraid to stop, she ploughed into the herd, only coming to a halt when she collided with one of the huge buffaloes.
Finally, she stood and caught her breath. Slowly, she regained control of her senses, but then she came to an awful realisation. Harley wasn’t with her!
Chapter 8
A Much-Needed Rest
‘Harley!’ Poppy whined and howled.
She was pushed and shoved from one hulking animal to another. The buffaloes’ large, hook-shaped horns narrowly missed her as the beasts grazed. Poppy tried ducking and diving, twisting and dodging, but it was difficult to move. The herd was too tightly packed together.
Some buffaloes stepped forwards, others backwards, knocking and pushing Poppy from one to another. She was no match for these powerful animals and struggled to stay on her feet. Then she glimpsed a flash of white colliding with a sturdy set of legs. It was Harley.
Poppy on Safari Page 3
